Winnipeg City Hall will see several fresh faces when the new council assembles, with more than half of the ward representatives taking their first seat in the chambers.
The incumbents for the Winnipeg wards of Old Kildonan, St. James, Transcona and Mynarski were defeated in the civic election Wednesday. The former city councillors in Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry, River Heights-Fort Garry, St. Norbert-Seine River, St. Vital and Waverley West did not seek re-election.
Winnipeg’s nine newly elected city councillors will be led by Mayor Scott Gillingham, who was re-elected Wednesday. The following day, Gillingham said part of his mayoral duties will involve helping the newly elected officials adjust.
He added that he plans to meet the 15 members who will form the newly elected city council to determine priorities and build a cohesive plan.
“I remember getting elected in 2014 as a city councillor. It was like drinking from a firehose,” Gillingham said, recalling the influx of information he received at that time.
“I’m confident every one of [the new councillors] is going to roll up their sleeves, learn quickly and put their whole effort into it. I’m excited. All the new councillors also represent a lot of opportunities. New ideas. New energy. Positive change.”
Greg McFarlane unseated incumbent Devi Sharma with 56 per cent of the vote in Old Kildonan. Sharma received 36 per cent of the vote. Prior to the election, McFarlane said many residents told him that they felt it was time for change.
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“I said, ‘You know what? It’s time.’ And I dropped everything – I quit my job, signed up, knocked on doors,” McFarlane said, adding that he was working as a school trustee and electrician at that time.
“I had key conversations with leaders in the community and listened to what they had to say. And we all came together and we sent a message.”
Shawn Dobson, the incumbent for the western ward of St. James, finished in last place of the three candidates running. He was ousted by Kelly Ryback, who has lived in the ward for longer than 30 years, and received 43 per cent of votes.
“There’s going to be a lot of work to do, but a lot of learning,” Ryback told Global News. He said part of that learning will involve determining what is in the city’s scope and what is in the hands of the provincial or federal governments.
Before retiring, Ryback said he was “always busy” between work, family and being one of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ mascots, Buzz.
The seasoned incumbent for Transcona, Russ Wyatt, was defeated by Lora Meseman. Facing allegations of sexual assault, Wyatt finished second-to-last out of the five councillors running. Meseman secured 31 per cent of the vote.
Natalie Smith defeated the long-serving city councillor for Mynarski, Ross Eadie. It was a nail-biter race, ending with Smith receiving 31 per cent of support while Eadie, who was the city councillor for 16 years, received 29 per cent.
Jeff Palmer was elected to represent the Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry ward. Sherri Rollins served as the area councillor for two terms and opted not to seek re-election this year.
Sara MacArthur will replace John Orlikow, who did not run. MacArthur will sit at city hall for the River Heights-Fort Garry constituency, where she has lived her entire life. She said she has been thinking of running in this race for decades.
“I thought after 17 years of the same city councillor that I could use the skills and this passion for my neighbourhood and be an effective voice,” MacArthur said, noting that Wednesday marked “an election of change.”
St. Norbert-Seine River will have Ray Dubois at the helm. The incumbent councillor, Markus Chambers, was not on the ballot after he said he decided to step away and spend more time with his family.
Chris Sigurdson will represent St. Vital after the new batch of councillors are sworn in. Bryan Mayes, the incumbent, did not run for city council. Instead, Mayes ran, and won, to represent ward 2 in the Louis Riel School Division Wednesday.
After a 12-year stint as a city councillor, Janice Lukes did not run in 2026. The ward she represented, Waverley West, will be in the hands of Jasmine Brar. Speaking with Global News, Brar said that she is still soaking in the news – but excited to get to work.
“It was quite the fight,” Brar said. “Waverley West has spoken. They needed a change. So, the change came. When fresh ideas come to the table and fresh faces come to the table, we do wonders.”
Curtis Brown, the vice president and managing director for western Canada at Abacus Data, said the newly elected councillors are a manifestation of Winnipeg voters’ displeasure with its last city council, in a conversation with 680 CJOB Wednesday.
“People are not happy with the direction of the city, and they’re looking for people to tackle these big issues that we see,” he said, pointing to crime, homelessness and poor city services as examples of those challenges.
“I think Winnipeg really sent a pretty clear message, even though they didn’t change the person at the top of the council table, they really voted in change in a big way.”
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